Standards-Based Lesson Description: Using Thoughtshots
Authors: 1. Ariana Stanton 2.Max Silva
I. Standard Benchmark(s) and Learning Objective: For every lesson that a teacher presents to his/her class, regardless of the grade, it is extremely important to have set standard benchmarks and learning objectives that are clearly presented to all the students. Within the lesson Using Thoughtshots, designed and utilized in a sixth grade class, the objectives and standard benchmarks help the students learn how to write more creatively and detailed. The main objective of this lesson is for the students to learn what thoughshots are and how to utilize them within their papers. The Using Thoughtshots lesson taught the students that thoughtshots are a technique writers can use in order to bring elaborate details about their characters and their character's thoughts to life within a paper. The students learned about three types of thoughtshots: flashbacks, flash-fowards, and those of in the moment. In order to make documentation of a thoughtshot for future use when revising a paper, the students were taught to imagine how their character would have felt, reacted, and/or what facial and body expressions the characters exprienced durring the flashback, flash-foward, or in moment thoughtshot and either darw a viusal or write a description of their thoughts. This objective really provokes a student's thought process because it forced them to think deeper into their stories and how they themselves might have felt in a given situation as well as somehow creating a way to convey these thoughts to readers.
The standard benchmarks in this lesson deal with the improvement of each students' paper through the process of revising. First, the students were asked to read through their papers and mark the parts that they believed could use improvement by means of a thoughtshot. When the paper is completely read through, the students were to insert the thoughtshots that fit within each given place. Once each thoughshot is placed within the paper, the students can read their papers one more time to see the improvement that they have made by the use of a simple, yet effective writing technique.
II. The Learning Environment:
The learning environment within a classroom is an extremely important aspect for both the students and the teacher. The environment of the classroom in the Using Thoughshots video lesson was set up so all the students could see the teacher and the overhead-projector. The desks were set up in rows while the teacher stood at the front of the class to lead the discussion. Besides the placement of the desks, the environment surrounding the children is also important. The environment surrounding the students in the video consisted of a vibrant walls and several different resource tools at the students' disposal. Covering the majority of the four walls are art projects, stimulation posters, student work, and much more. This friendly environment not only stimulates thinking and sparks inspiration, but it shows the students that their teacher cares about making them feel comfortable within the school environment. Also, by hanging the students' work on the walls shows them that their hard work has paid off and is now on display for everyone to see and admire. Not only do the friendly wall decorations make the students feel secure in the classroom, but so do all the resources the teacher has placed throughout the room. Filed throughout the room can be found what appear to be dictionaries, writers handbooks, and other materials filed neatly for easy access. This is helpful because it ensures the students that they will always be able to help themselves if the teacher is busy assisting another student.
Besides the physical classroom environment, another important environmental aspect is that of the classroom is that of the teacher-student interactions and student-student interactions. Within the lesson from the video, the class began with teacher-student interactions. The teacher started class by describing the day's lesson and how the students were aiming at improving the quality of their stories. Not only did the teacher provide the class with instructions and examples, but she also engaged the students in brainstorming by asking them questions. While doing so, the teacher used an overhead-projector to record the students' responses in order to provide the children with notes of the discussion. Once the class finished the group lesson and instructions, they were asked to work individually; this promoted both teacher-student interactions as well as student-student interactions. While the students worked by themselves, the teacher walked around the room asking if anyone needed assistance (teacher-student interactions). Student-student interactions were encouraged when/if anyone wanted a pier editor so that they could get an extra set of eyes and opinions about the quality and effectiveness or their stories.
III. The Learning Activities:
IV. Personal Reflections (Yours):
Ariana-
After watching, evaluating, and reflecting upon this lesson, I believe that this is an incredibly effective, useful, and fun lesson for sixth grade students. I like how the teacher began class with a group discussion of the task at hand and had students respond to questions to get everyone's minds thinking. Also, I think it was very effective to use a book that the entire class read together as an example as to how thoughshots are formed and used. From what I could tell, the majority of the class was engaged in conversation and brainstorming throughout the beginning discussion. I believe that this was possible because the lesson was not boring nor did it leave for any downtime. Overall, I really liked how this lesson was constructed and conducted. If I were a sixth grade teacher today, I believe that I would use this lesson in my classrrom becuase it is a fun and engaging activity that will not make students want to stray from their task.
Max-.
The use of thoughshots seemed to be very useful when it came to these sixth graders writing. The teacher really made the students feel comfortable and at ease by starting off the workshop with a classroom discussion. Another strong point is the choice to have the whole class read the same book as she introduced this lesson. It was pretty effective and it allowed the students to see examples of thoughshouts within the novel. It seemed like most of the class was interested in the workshop and as it progressed, the students questions and responses became a lot more in depth. Overall I really liked this thoughtshots workshop. Unlike most workshops in school this one was fun and it engaged the whole classroom which makes the students pay more attention
Using Thoughtshots
Authors:
1. Ariana Stanton
2. Max Silva
I. Standard Benchmark(s) and Learning Objective:
For every lesson that a teacher presents to his/her class, regardless of the grade, it is extremely important to have set standard benchmarks and learning
objectives that are clearly presented to all the students. Within the lesson Using Thoughtshots, designed and utilized in a sixth grade class, the objectives and standard benchmarks help the students learn how to write more creatively and detailed. The main objective of this lesson is for the students to learn what thoughshots are and how to utilize them within their papers. The Using Thoughtshots lesson taught the students that thoughtshots are a technique writers can use in order to bring elaborate details about their characters and their character's thoughts to life within a paper. The students learned about three types of thoughtshots: flashbacks, flash-fowards, and those of in the moment. In order to make documentation of a thoughtshot for future use when revising a paper, the students were taught to imagine how their character would have felt, reacted, and/or what facial and body expressions the characters exprienced durring the flashback, flash-foward, or in moment thoughtshot and either darw a viusal or write a description of their thoughts. This objective really provokes a student's thought process because it forced them to think deeper into their stories and how they themselves might have felt in a given situation as well as somehow creating a way to convey these thoughts to readers.
The standard benchmarks in this lesson deal with the improvement of each students' paper through the process of revising. First, the students were asked to read through their papers and mark the parts that they believed could use improvement by means of a thoughtshot. When the paper is completely read through, the students were to insert the thoughtshots that fit within each given place. Once each thoughshot is placed within the paper, the students can read their papers one more time to see the improvement that they have made by the use of a simple, yet effective writing technique.
II. The Learning Environment:
The learning environment within a classroom is an extremely important aspect for both the students and the teacher. The environment of the classroom in the Using Thoughshots video lesson was set up so all the students could see the teacher and the overhead-projector. The desks were set up in rows while
Besides the physical classroom environment, another important environmental aspect is that of the classroom is that of the teacher-student interactions and student-student interactions. Within the lesson from the video, the class began with teacher-student interactions. The teacher started class by describing the day's lesson and how the students were aiming at improving the quality of their stories. Not only did the teacher provide the class with instructions and examples, but she also engaged the students in brainstorming by asking them questions. While doing so, the teacher used an overhead-projector to record the students' responses in order to provide the children with notes of the discussion. Once the class finished the group lesson and instructions, they were asked to work individually; this promoted both teacher-student interactions as well as student-student interactions. While the students worked by themselves, the teacher walked around the room asking if anyone needed assistance (teacher-student interactions). Student-student interactions were encouraged when/if anyone wanted a pier editor so that they could get an extra set of eyes and opinions about the quality and effectiveness or their stories.
III. The Learning Activities:
IV. Personal Reflections (Yours):
Ariana-
After watching, evaluating, and reflecting upon this lesson, I believe that this is an incredibly effective, useful, and fun lesson for sixth grade students. I like how the teacher began class with a group discussion of the task at hand and had students respond to questions to get everyone's minds thinking. Also, I think it was very effective to use a book that the entire class read together as an example as to how thoughshots are formed and used. From what I could tell, the majority of the class was engaged in conversation and brainstorming throughout the beginning discussion. I believe that this was possible because the lesson was not boring nor did it leave for any downtime. Overall, I really liked how this lesson was constructed and conducted. If I were a sixth grade teacher today, I believe that I would use this lesson in my classrrom becuase it is a fun and engaging activity that will not make students want to stray from their task.
Max-.
The use of thoughshots seemed to be very useful when it came to these sixth graders writing. The teacher really made the students feel comfortable and at ease by starting off the workshop with a classroom discussion. Another strong point is the choice to have the whole class read the same book as she introduced this lesson. It was pretty effective and it allowed the students to see examples of thoughshouts within the novel. It seemed like most of the class was interested in the workshop and as it progressed, the students questions and responses became a lot more in depth. Overall I really liked this thoughtshots workshop. Unlike most workshops in school this one was fun and it engaged the whole classroom which makes the students pay more attention
SBLD - Thoughshots F08